To ensure these stock shoots don’t end up a financial disaster I prepare detailed shoot lists and take great care in choosing the right models. The jumping model is one of 200 images accepted from Cape Town, a two-day shoot which has since produced in excess of 700 agency sales.

The picture was taken on the last afternoon when I had virtually run out of ideas, so I resorted to this models’ finest asset – which turned out to be her pure athleticism – and the quest to vary the pictures meant all types of crops and angles as well as using a bit of flash for a different feel.

In the days of film I’d have used a Hassleblad at 500th sec with fill from a Pro 7b flash pack to give some tone to the extreme brightness of the South African skies. However this picture was taken on my trusty Nikon D2X with a sync speed of 250th sec at around f5.6 – hence the need for a powerful flash pack strapped to the back of an unfortunate assistant.

Henry Arden first picked up a camera aged 17. After graduating from the West Surrey College of Art and Design he worked as an assistant to a number of photographers most notably Norman Parkinson. In the 1980s he cut his teeth shooting fashion and beauty for a diverse number of magazines which have kept him busy travelling the world ever since. His clients also include many of the major publishing companies and clothing catalogues and retailers, both small and large.

Photographer since 1981, EPUK member since 2007.

See more work by Henry Arden